I was lucky enough to spend last week on the Las Diosas yoga retreat, run by 2 close friends of mine, Eva and Leah of I Love Waves. The retreat had it all. Stand Up Paddle yoga, surf lessons at the best school in town with Kalle and his team from Luna Azul, sunset meditation on a breathtakingly beautiful secret beach, fun, creative workshops, probably the best massage of my life, traditional Mexican breakfasts, a cookery class led by the inimitable Carmen and some fantastic yoga classes in the most idyllic spot in town, overlooking the ocean.
As a yoga teacher, there is nothing I enjoy more than going to the classes of other instructors but it is not something I get to do very often. We were guided through several different styles of yoga – yin and restorative on our harder surf days and more energetic and playful classes when the focus for the day was workshops and meditation. I often feel quite restless in slower, more therapeutic classes but they are actually the sessions I need the most. I find them more restorative even than sleeping, great for reducing stress and the best for healing sore and achey body parts. I really believe we could all do with at least one relaxing yoga class a week just to slow down and reset. I also LOVED the more energetic classes where Leah and Eva mixed up Ashtanga with arm balances, inversions and more challenging poses. Even though we were surfing and paddling every day, my body feels awesome this week. Strong, pain-free and supple.
The best thing about the retreat – apart from the awesome group of girls I got to spend the week with – was the attention to detail. Leah and Eva had thought of everything. When we arrived, we were given a goodie bag with The Seea rash-guards, Pangea Organics soap, Bede bracelets and necklaces, Ushu Salvation beach blankets and an I Love Waves cap and bag. The food was unbelievable, the surf, SUP and yoga classes were top notch and there were lots of little surprises sprinkled through the week. Also, Eva and Leah teach in tandem so you get lots of great adjustments, which is pretty much the best thing about going to a yoga class.
If you get a chance to go on one of the Las Diosas retreats run by I Love Waves, I cannot recommend them highly enough. They book up pretty fast so go to their website to check out the details. And follow them on Instagram: @ilovewaves_life, @evaestlander and @nightdivine for daily pics, quotes and inspiration.
Further Resources
And if you can't make it to one of the retreats, I've just put the finishing touches to my Yoga for Surfers series.
Here is the link:
https://vimeo.com/ondemand/yogaforsurfers
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